Undergraduate Admissions

Meningitis Vaccination

Requirement for Entering Students

You will not be allowed to register for classes, even at Red Raider Orientation, until
Student Health Services has received and processed documentation showing that you
have complied with the following requirement.

REQUIREMENT:

The Texas legislature has changed the Meningitis Vaccination requirements for incoming
students to exclude students who are 22 years old and older. All other students entering
a public, private, or independent institution of higher education in Texas as of January
2012 and thereafter are required to provide documentation that they have had a meningococcal
(bacterial meningitis) vaccine or "booster" dose during the five-year period prior
to but no later than ten days before the first day of the first semester they will
enter that institution. Check your shot records. You may need another shot to comply.
Do not submit your documentation until you are admitted.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:

Please note that international students have additional medical requirements. Please
contact Student Health Services for more information.

FORMER TEXAS TECH STUDENTS:

Former Texas Tech students under 30 years of age and not enrolled at Texas Tech in
the most recent semester must provide documentation to Student Health Services that
they have received a Meningitis vaccination.

Vaccine Exemption

Unless exempted as noted below, the following students must comply with this requirement.

All first-time students at Texas Tech.

All students who are transferring from any institution of higher education to Texas
Tech.

All students who previously attended Texas Tech and who are enrolling following a
break in enrollment of at least one fall or spring semester. (Students who complete
a spring semester at Texas Tech, are not enrolled for the summer at Texas Tech, and
who return in the fall are considered "continuing students" and are not included in
this requirement.)

You are EXEMPT from this requirement if:

You will be age 22 or older on the first day of classes of the semester in which you
are enrolling at Texas Tech. You do not have to submit any documentation to Student
Health Services.

You will be enrolled only in online or distance education courses. You do not have
to submit any documentation to Student Health Services.

You cannot take the vaccine because of medical reasons. Before you will be allowed
to register for classes, UHS must receive specific, acceptable documentation to substantiate
this reason.

You decline the vaccine due to reasons of conscience, including a religious belief.
Before you will be allowed to register for classes, Student Health Services must receive
a completed, notarized, original Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS)
Vaccine Exemption Affidavit Form.BE AWARE: This is the only acceptable documentation for this exemption, and this process takes
a significant amount of time. Begin well in advance of your intended registration
date.

Acceptable Documentation

The signature or stamp of a physician or his/her designee or public health personnel
on a form that shows the month, day, and year of your most recent meningococcal vaccination
or booster dose;

An official immunization record generated from a state or local health authority that
includes the same information as above; or

An official record issued from school officials, including a record from another state,
that includes the same information as above.

Documentation must be in English and include your full name and date of birth. Write
your Texas Tech "R" number and the semester you are entering Texas Tech (e.g. Spring
2012) on all pages of your documentation before submitting it.

Declining the Meningitis Vaccine

Because of the severity and potential fatality of meningococcal disease (bacterial
meningitis), please consult a physician about the need for the vaccine before seeking
this exemption.

The only acceptable documentation is an original, completed and notarized Texas Department
of State Health Services (TDSHS) Vaccine Exemption Affidavit Form. Request this form
directly from TDSHS by mail or via an online request process. TDSHS will mail a hard
copy of the form to you. TDSHS does not make online copies of the form available to
print out, and Student Health Services is not authorized to provide electronic or
hard copies.

Write your Texas Tech "R" number and the semester you are entering Texas Tech on this
form (e.g. Fall 2015) before submitting it.

IMPORTANT: You must send the original, notarized form to Student Health Services. Emailed,
faxed forms or photocopies are not acceptable. Initiate your request to TDSHS well
before your intended registration date. It may take several weeks to receive your
form during rush times.

The following timelines apply for submitting documentation proving you've had the
meningococcal vaccine, that you can't take the vaccine because of medical reasons
OR that you decline the vaccine because of reasons of conscience, including a religious
belief.

Submit your documentation only after you have been admitted to Texas Tech. This requirement is not part of your admission process, but non-compliance will prevent
you from registering for classes. Student Health Services cannot track your documentation
until you have been admitted, and you will have to resubmit it if you send it in to
Student Health Services before that time.

Submit your documentation to Student Health Services at least two weeks before your
intended registration date, even if it is during Red Raider Orientation, to prevent
registration delays.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: You can bring your documentation to Student Health Services as soon as you arrive
in Lubbock.

Write your Texas Tech "R" number and the semester you are entering Texas Tech on this
form (e.g. Fall 2015) before submitting it.

Please submit your documentation to Student Health Services as soon as you are admitted
AND have decided to come to Texas Tech, but at least two weeks before your intended
registration date (even if that date is during Red Raider Orientation).

Where you can get the meningitis vaccine?

(including those without insurance)You can get the meningococcal vaccine at most doctors' offices and private clinics,
many large pharmacy chains, and some minor emergency centers or medi-clinics. Call
in advance to see whether they offer the vaccine, require an appointment, and take
your insurance.

If you have Medicaid or CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Plan), please contact your
established healthcare provider as your first option.

If you are uninsured or your insurance will not cover the meningococcal vaccine

If you are 18 or younger, you might qualify for the Texas Vaccines for Children Program.
Call the United Way's referral helpline, by dialing 211, to find healthcare providers
in your area who participate in this program.

Many Texas city/county health departments offer free or low-cost meningococcal vaccine
as part of children and adult immunization programs. Call to confirm that they offer
the meningococcal vaccine for someone your age and in your circumstances.

Getting meningococcal vaccine at Student Health ServicesOnce you are admitted, you can schedule an appointment to get the meningococcal vaccine
at Student Health Services by calling (806) 743-2848.

BE ADVISED: Student Health Services has a finite number of immunization appointments, and you
may not be able to get the vaccine at Student Health Services if you wait until the
last minute to do so. Being unable to schedule an appointment at Student Health Services
(or any other facility) in time to meet registration deadlines will not be considered
a valid reason for a waiver of this requirement.)